MUSICAL MUSINGS
September 21, 2004
Two months ago, this article appeared in Jones Radio Networks' weekly publication, SharePoints. I've reprinted it here with just a couple tweaks.
EVENTS AND INNOVATIONS OF THE EARLY 2000s
Believe it or not, the decade is nearly half over. A lot has happened in the many musical genres we work with, so maybe it’s time for a review. Here, we present you with an unscientific list of the ten most important events and innovations of the decade so far.
LATIN AND TEENY BOP BECOME JUST PLAIN POP
Undeniably, the late ’90s teeny bop explosion was still going strong in 2000. The Backstreet Boys were beginning to wane, but Britney Spears and ’N Sync scored some of their biggest hits that year. The fear throughout top 40 radio was that in 2001, teen pop would completely disappear, leaving us in the same bind we were in when the last teen wave fizzled.
But it didn’t happen that way this time. One-hit wonders Dream merged teen pop and hip hop in their tasty hit “He Loves U Not.” ’N Sync made room for Justin Timberlake to launch a successful solo career. Christina Aguilera settled in for the long haul with powerful songs like “Beautiful” and “Can’t Hold Us Down.” Britney Spears had a few bumpy moments, but in 2004, “Toxic” became her biggest hit since “…Baby One More Time.”
The late ’90s Latin trend also faded, but not completely. Santana opened the decade with “Smooth,” but had a big hit as recently as last year with “Why Don’t You & I.” Shakira came late to the party but still managed two big hits. Ricky Martin and Marc Anthony have retreated back to Spanish radio, but given the right song, either one of them could cross over again.
XENOPHOBIA STRIKES THE STATES
The complete absence of British recording artists from the Billboard Hot 100 early in 2002 was a surprisingly big news story. The Brits hadn’t been absent from our chart since before the British invasion of 1964.
But when Craig David’s “7 Days” dropped off the chart, the current wave of xenophobia became undeniable. Coldplay later managed a significant hit with “Clocks.” But some of the biggest hits the world has seen lately, including “The Ketchup Song” by Las Ketchup and “A Little Less Conversation” by Elvis Presley vs. JXL, barely scratched radio playlists in the U.S.
SEPTEMBER 11, 2001
Following the first significant attack on American soil since Pearl Harbor, music soothed America’s fears and also focused its anger and resolve. Country music stepped right up to give voice to Americans’ feelings; the airwaves became flooded with patriotic anthems like “God Bless the U.S.A.,” reflective songs like “Where Were You When the World Stopped Turning,” and angry, indignant songs like “Courtesy of the Red, White and Blue (The Angry American).”
But while the country format saw the most obvious transition, September 11 deeply affected other genres as well. “Calling All Angels” by Train, “The Remedy (I Won't Worry)” by Jason Mraz, and “No More Drama” by Mary J. Blige are just a few examples of the new perspectives Americans came to following an unspeakable tragedy.
DIXIE CHICKS BANNED
Objections to the subsequent war on Iraq were unpopular in our industry. Although many artists, including R.E.M. and the Beastie Boys, recorded songs expressing explicit anger over the Bush administration’s motives for war, not one of these songs got significant airplay. The songs that did succeed, like “Liberate” by Disturbed and “Megalomaniac” by Incubus, seemed to speak to George W. Bush directly but never came right out and said so.
The Dixie Chicks made the biggest faux pas in March 2003, saying they were ashamed to share a home state with the president. Immediately, their hits “Landslide” and “Travelin’ Soldier” all but disappeared from AC and country radio. The group still has not recovered, and the country format seems to have decided it will not question the war. If the White House changes hands next year, it will be fascinating to see how this affects country music.
THE SPIRITUAL SIDE
The last few years have seen a remarkable turn toward spirituality in many radio formats. Country music became more blatantly Christian than it had been in many years, as reflected in songs like “Tougher than Nails” and “Long Black Train.” Christian pop artists MercyMe and Stacie Orrico crossed over to secular stations, as did rock artists Lifehouse, P.O.D., and Switchfoot.
Even artists who didn’t identify with the Christian music industry offered spiritual perspectives. U2 made a big comeback with “Beautiful Day,” and most of Creed’s lyrics spoke of oneness with the divine. Evanescence’s song “Bring Me to Life” was a hit at Christian rock radio until the band expressed unhappiness over its success in that arena.
Most recently, up-and-coming Hip Hop artist Kanye West has given us “Jesus Walks,” a song that points to a need for Christ in a dangerous world. And Avril Lavigne’s current hit, “Don’t Tell Me,” is widely applauded by Christians for its theme of teen abstinence from sex.
AMERICAN IDOL
Seasons one and two of American Idol scored huge ratings, but who would have thought that so many winners and even finalists would be embarking on successful careers? Kelly Clarkson, Clay Aiken, Ruben Studdard, and Kimberley Locke have all found radio success in varying degrees, and Tamyra Gray, Fantasia Barrino, and Diana DeGarmo seem ready to follow suit. Certainly this trend won’t last forever, but it does point to an increasing emphasis on multimedia as a means to musical success. We’ve even seen country radio embrace Buddy Jewell, the first winner of Nashville Star, and Josh Gracin of American Idol fame is following suit in that format.
THE SHOCK FACTOR
Eminem was accused of homophobia. R. Kelly was accused of child pornography and sexual abuse. The question of what shocks us and what doesn’t is difficult to answer.
Regardless of the charges against him, R. Kelly continued to release new music, and the sexually-charged “Ignition” became one of the biggest hits of his career. Did the bad press actually help R. Kelly? Or do many fans simply not care about their favorite artists’ private lives?
It’s not like nothing shocks us anymore. When Justin Timberlake revealed Janet Jackson’s breast during the 2004 Superbowl halftime show, the incident led to sweeping reforms in the radio and TV industry regarding sexual content that could be deemed offensive. But shock isn’t everything: Eminem’s biggest hit of all, “Lose Yourself,” was low on shock and high on musicianship. And R. Kelly’s song “Step in the Name of Love” used no sexual references; it settled for being just plain classy. Which brings us to …
SOUL MAKES A COMEBACK
Even at the beginning of the decade, artists like D’Angelo, Avant, and Musiq Soulchild were making us nostalgic for the heyday of soul in the 1970s. Alicia Keys typified this trend with her #1 hit “Fallin’” in 2001, a song that wasn’t content to stay confined to urban radio. Her current hit, “If I Can’t Have You,” is finding similar success.
Today, Usher stands at the crossroads between quality soul music and mainstream popularity; this is best exemplified by his recent #1 smash “Burn.” It’s not a groundbreaking song, but it seems to sum up everything R&B has been in the last ten years, with echoes of Gerald Levert, the Isley Brothers … even Nelly and Bone Thugs-N-Harmony.
ROCK RETURNS TO THE FOREFRONT
At the dawn of the decade, rock music wasn’t crossing over much. The Red Hot Chili Peppers were still cranking out quality tunes like “Californication,” but not much innovation was going on.
That started to change when Staind, Puddle of Mudd, and Linkin Park introduced us to therapeutic rock. The era of angst was over; it was time to grow up and deal with these issues. John Mayer and Jack Johnson then gave us a cool, mellow rock sound and their own brand of upbeat, redemptive lyrics.
In 2002, the Strokes, the Hives, the White Stripes, and others defined the “emo” or “lo-fi” movement, returning us to raw rock than was just plain fun. Now we’re in the second wave of that trend, as Modest Mouse, the Yeah Yeah Yeahs, Franz Ferdinand, and the Killers continue to restore the good name of the alternative radio format.
HIP HOP COMPLETES ITS TAKEOVER
If you were still in denial in 1999, you can’t keep the blinders on any longer: hip hop is here to stay. Although its biggest hits don’t tend to be representative of its best sounds, hip hop has worked its way into many different styles.
Just taste Missy Elliott’s strange and wonderful “Get Ur Freak On.” Listen to the sensitive rock/rap of Crazy Town’s “Butterfly.” Sample the hybrid of dancehall reggae and Eastern diwali with Sean Paul. Buy a copy of the overtly commercial Nelly hit “Air Force Ones.” Spit rhythms with masters of internal rhyme like Ludacris and Twista. Party “In Da Club” with 50 Cent. “Get Low” with Lil Jon, the King of Crunk, and submit to the next big subgenre, “Crunk & B.”
But above all, dig OutKast. “Hey Ya!” is one of this year’s biggest hits, and it’s the undeniable crossover champ of the decade, charting at hip hop, top 40, alternative rock, and even hAC. That’s a pretty big accomplishment for a duo that’s already been innovatively changing hip hop for a decade.
OK, LET’S MAKE IT ELEVEN
How could we not mention iTunes and the iPod? The ongoing battle against illegal downloading and the instant success of paid downloads is changing the music industry very quickly. What we are seeing is effectively a revival of the singles market in the U.S. It’s just taking a different form than we may have ever imagined, and that’s probably a SharePoints topic all its own.
WHAT’S NEXT?
What’s next is anyone’s guess, of course. In 1974, could we have predicted that the Bee Gees would reinvent themselves as disco superstars? In 1984, could we have foreseen that Cher would come back? In 1994, could we have dreamed that Cher would come back yet again?
Hmmm … so who’s up for a bet on Cher in 2009?
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